Ton anschleifen

English translation: slide up

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Is the explanation for the following accent/phrasing mark: > and supposedly has nothing to do with volume but relates to starting at a lower note and rising in pitch. Unfortunately there is no more context. I always assumed that this mark signified the crescendo but my client says that this is wrong...

Explanation:First, let´s translate the words, and come to the > sign afterwards.

Quantz and Bach used the term Schleifer for an ornament (represented by a sign I can´t indicate with this keyboard) which consisted of sliding up to a note.

Cécile understands "Ton anschleifen" immediately, and as we discuss (in German) makes it clear that her understanding is of sliding up. Not down. When I ask about down, she mentions glissando, which can be in either direction. But anschleifen is slide upwards.

The Bach and Quantz Schleifer was also up only (almost always). It is described by both of them as consisting of two or more Vorschlag notes (but on the beat please!). But they were both talking about instruments which can´t slide as a violin can.

If it was a guitar, you might prefer "bending", we guitarists :-) think of it like that because we bend the string. Except when we are using a slide, and then I would say slide rather than bend.

Now to the sign. You, of course, can´t argue with the client, but I can. He is wrong. Cécile and I both know ">" as an accent mark - she with more certainty, because as flautist she has much more to do with them than I as keyboard player do. "Es ist ein Betonungszeichen", she says. We also find this in dtv-Atlas zur Musik Band 1, 1977. It gives “>” under marcato – emphasis - which is how we understand it.

Regarding crescendo and de-crescendo / diminuendo, they are represented either by abbreviations of the words or by signs known as hairpins. Of course we are limited by the font here, but they are almost never as short as \">\". (A hairpin of the \">\" shape is of course diminuendo.)

Explanation:First, let´s translate the words, and come to the > sign afterwards.

Quantz and Bach used the term Schleifer for an ornament (represented by a sign I can´t indicate with this keyboard) which consisted of sliding up to a note.

Cécile understands "Ton anschleifen" immediately, and as we discuss (in German) makes it clear that her understanding is of sliding up. Not down. When I ask about down, she mentions glissando, which can be in either direction. But anschleifen is slide upwards.

The Bach and Quantz Schleifer was also up only (almost always). It is described by both of them as consisting of two or more Vorschlag notes (but on the beat please!). But they were both talking about instruments which can´t slide as a violin can.

If it was a guitar, you might prefer "bending", we guitarists :-) think of it like that because we bend the string. Except when we are using a slide, and then I would say slide rather than bend.

Now to the sign. You, of course, can´t argue with the client, but I can. He is wrong. Cécile and I both know ">" as an accent mark - she with more certainty, because as flautist she has much more to do with them than I as keyboard player do. "Es ist ein Betonungszeichen", she says. We also find this in dtv-Atlas zur Musik Band 1, 1977. It gives “>” under marcato – emphasis - which is how we understand it.

Regarding crescendo and de-crescendo / diminuendo, they are represented either by abbreviations of the words or by signs known as hairpins. Of course we are limited by the font here, but they are almost never as short as \">\". (A hairpin of the \">\" shape is of course diminuendo.)